Linklaters

Achieving the unachievable

The challenge
By 2001 Linklaters had doubled in size through a string of European mergers. In order for growth to continue, it knew it needed to stand for something beyond scale: it needed something to unite and motivate its people and attract the best clients. Linklaters decided to be different: to have a clear ethos, a strong point of view, and a striking way of communicating that stood apart from conventional and subdued law firms.

What we did
Principia’s CEO, Ian Stephens* led a team that worked with partners, staff and clients around the world to define what was special about the firm: an ability to make things happen whatever the odds, to tackle the most intractable problems and get results. This truth was summarised as ‘achieving the unachievable’.

Impact
Work sessions were conducted across the firm, challenging people to find the things they could do to bring the idea to life, and a bold new communication style was created, based on words – a lawyer’s main weapon. Through clever word play and strong typography Linklaters developed a distinctive and confident voice in the market. It stands out with a strong reputation as the pre-eminent firm for the most challenging and complex cross-border work for the world’s most prestigious clients.